Solar cells normally have a front side and a rear side, with a contact structure being applied on at least one of the two sides. The contact structure typically has a width of at least 100 μm, while its thickness is only about 10 to 15 μm. A greater width of the contact structure leads to a reduction in efficiency because of the increased shading that results. Conversely, a decrease of the width of the contact structure leads to an increase in the line resistances of the contact structure.